Automatic fire apparatus



July 25, 1933. w. B. GRIFFITH 1,919,508

AUTOMATIC FIRE APPARATUS I Filed March 31, 1932 Patented July 25, 1933UNITED STATES PATENT-1 oF EiC WILLIAM B. GRIFFITH, F AUDUBON, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 STAR SPRINKLER CORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA,

JERSEY vA CORPORATION ,OF ;1 TEW- AUTOMATIC FIRE APPARATU$ Applicationfiled March 31, 1932. Serial No. 602,171.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic fire extinguishers,and particularly relates to devices having separable members, such assprinkler heads, and fusible ing position between said members byfusible material, and upon the melting of the fuslble material the keywill readily move out of locking position and release the members.

A further object is to construct a deviceso that a key of relativelyhard metal may be used which will not be compressed and distorted underthe tension applied to the separable members.

' A further object is to construct the sepa rable members with recesseswhich are 0ccupied by the movable key. One of the re cesses being ofsuflicient size to contain the fusible material for holding the key inthe locking position, and to receive the entire key when the fusiblematerialis melted, thus allowing the key to move out of locking position and release the separable members.

A further object is to provide a key in the form of a ball, or cylinder,which will readily roll out of locking position when the fusiblematerial is melted. V

These together with various other novel features of construction andarrangement of the parts, which will be more fully'hereinafter describedand claimed, constitute my invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectionalView of 'a sprinkler head embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1 showing the separable membersstarting to separate.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of one separable member, showing akey in the form of a cylinder.

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing adifferent form of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of separable members forminga link for use upon fire doors, windows, and thelikefenr bodying myinvention. 1 I, .7 l r In the drawing in which like reference charactersrefer to likepart's, 10 represents a sprinkler head, having .the usualform of valve seat12, normally closed by a valve cap 13. A frame 14ismounteduponand forms part of the body of thesprinklerfhead, and i saidframe .14

screw 15. g c a Separable members 16 and 17 are pivotally' associated atthe fulcrum 18, and have lugs 19-and 20 which engage the valve cap13 andthe stop screw 15. Said member-s16 and 1'7 carries an {adjusting stophave extension arms 22 and '23, forming levers. The arm 23 has anextension part 25, extending at right angles to the length of the arm23. Said part 25 embraces the outer end of the'arm 22, thus formingcadjacent surfaces 26 and 27 which are movable longitudinally; H

relatively to'each other when the members 16 and'17 are separatedby'th'e action of the air pressure acting upon the under side of the cap13[ A key 30, formed of hard metal or other hard material, which willnot be distorted under pressure, is provided-for locking the separablemember's'ag'ainst the tension upon the outer ends of the arms and forpreventing the adjacent surfaces 26 and 27 from moving longitudinallyrelatively to each other.

The key 30 is normally positioned between the adjacent surfaces 26 and27' of the separable members. The surface 27' of the extension part 25has formed therein a recess 32, and the end surface 26, of the arm'22,has formed therein a recess 33, which recesses are occupied by the key80, for locking the separable members in the position shown in Fig.1. jT

The recess 33 formed. in the arm 22is of sufficient length to allowthekey to move entirely into it for releasing-the members 16 and 17. Thekey 30 is held in looking position between the adjacent surfaces ofthemembers displacement, as long as the fusible material 7 35 remains inthe solid state.

The melting of the fusible material 35 will tend to lubricate thesurface of-the key and the latter will-freely roll into the recess 33,

by the action of the shoulders 37 and 38, as the fusible material flowsout of the recess 33, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The key fits looselyinto the'recess 33, thus forming sulficient space around the key for thefusible material to escape when in the fluid state.

The key 30, shown in Figs. 1 to 3, is in the form of a metal ball. Fig.4 illustrates a key 40, in the form of a cylindrical roller. The

terial 46 is melted, thus insuring the free releasing of the members 42and 43.

V Fig. 6 illustrates my invention applied to a fusible link for firedoors and the like. The

separable members 48 and 49 have adj acent surfaces with recesses 50 and51 formed therein. The recess 50 is of suflicient size to allow thekey52 to fully enter the same for releasing the members 48 and 49. The key52 is ofsolid metal and is held in looking position by the fusiblematerial 54 which is under compression and holds the key in the plane ofthe adjacent surfaces of the separable members, which latter can onlymove longitudinally, relatively to each other, due to the keepers 55 andthe tongues 56.

Heretofore devices of this character have been constructed withseparable members having adjacent surfaces movable longitudinallyrelatively to each other, and interlocked by keys formed of soft fusiblematerial. This construction was defective as the tension of the memberswas applied directly upon the fusible material. 7

My invention provides a key formed of hard material which is normallypositioned between the adjacent surfaces of the portions of theseparable members which are movable longitudinally relatively to eachother. The key is freely movable transverselyto said surfaces, into arecess formed in one of the members whenthe fusible ma terial is melted.

By providing a circular. key, which may be either of'spherical orcylindrical form, the key will roll, when the fusible material ismelted, due to the cam action of the shoulders upon the separablemembers. By this arrangement the shoulders may be located nearly uponthe medial plane between the adjacent surfaces of the separable members,thus reducing the force tending to compress the fusible material. r

7 I claim V V 1.. A device of the character described comprising,separable members having adjacent surfaces movable longitudinallyrelatively to each other, a key positioned between said members, saidmembershaving recesses formed in their adjacent surfaces to receive saidkey, the recess in one of said members forming a deep pocket having aclosed inner end, fusible material confined within said deep pocketarranged for normally holding the key in looking position between saidmembers, and the recess formed in the opposite member forming a closedshallow pocket with cam surfaces arranged to force the key into saiddeep pocketto-displace the fusible material and release said memberswhen the fusible material Q is melted. i i

2. 1L device of the character described comprising, separable membershaving adjacent surfaces movable longitudinally relatively to eachother, one of saidv members having a recess formed therein extendingtransversely relatively to said surfaces, said recess forming a deeppocket having a closed inner end, a key of relatively hard materialmovably mounted .in' said pocket, a shoulder upon the other one of saidmembers fusible material in said dee )ocket 1 a P I normally positioningthe key in lockingengagement with said shoulderand said member uponwhich the shoulder is mounted having a closed shallow recess with camsurfaces arranged to force the key into said deep pocket to displace thefusible material when the latter is melted.

3. A. sprinkler head comprising aframe, a valve seat in said frame, avalve cap, separable members forming a strut betweensaid frameand. saidcap for holding the latter upon said seat, an extension arm upon one ofthe separable members, said-arm having an elongated recess forming adeep pocket having a closed inner end, said pocket extending lengthwiseat right angles to-the end surface of the arm, a key movably mounted insaid pocket, an extension arm upon the other one of said members, anextension part upon the last mentioned arm and positioned adjacent tosaid end. surface of the first mentioned arm, fusible material Withinsaid pocket arranged for normally holding the key in locking engagementwith said extension part, and said extension part llOf having arecessforming a closed shallowpocket with cam surfaces arranged to force thekey into said deep pocket to displace the fusible material and releasesald members when the fusible materlal is melted.

1.-WILLIAM B. GRIFFITH.

